Asteroid 2024 YR4 will not hit the Moon in 2032, according to new observations

Finally, the Moon won’t be hit by asteroid 2024 YR4. Indeed, new observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope in February 2026 rule out any danger to the Moon, and we now know the trajectory of this celestial object.

As a reminder, this asteroid was discovered on December 27, 2024, by the ATLAS system founded by NASA. It was quickly considered a threat to Earth, with a diameter of 60 meters and a risk of impact in 2032. Fortunately, after conducting further observations, scientists determined that it would not threaten the Earth. Thus, attention turned to the Moon, and previous studies highlighted an impact risk estimated at 4.3%.

But recently, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) in Maryland decided to observe this asteroid between February 18 and 26 with the James Webb Space Telescope. And while 2024 YR4 is one of the smallest targets ever observed with this device, the new measurements indicate that there is no danger for the Moon, as this asteroid will pass at a distance of about 13,200 miles (21,243 kilometers).

However, this means that astronomers and scientists will not be able to observe the effects of such a powerful impact in real time. Indeed, if that had been the case, it would have caused an explosion similar to a nuclear bomb and created a crater one kilometer in diameter.